原文連結：Burnett praises Halladay's influence on career
本文由 MLB.com 專欄作家 Mark Feinsand 所撰；米古爾譯。
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柏奈特憶哈勒戴：我共事過最棒的投手
柏奈特（A.J. Burnett）在2005年底加盟藍鳥時，當時的他已經是一位很有成就的大聯盟投手－生涯先發130場，坐擁49勝與一次無安打比賽在手。但當這位速球派投手參加了來到多倫多之後的第一次春訓，很快地，他便瞭解自己還得多加把勁，才能成為自己心目中所期待的樣貌。
我所需要的就是與哈勒戴（Roy Halladay）相處一天。
「哈勒戴對我產生很大的影響，無論是身為一個男人，或作為一位投手。」柏奈特說道。
「我一直都擁有身為投手的野性，但我從來都不知道該如何運用它。我第一次在多倫多遇見大夫時，我看到了以前從未看過的景象－那是完全截然不同的投手本能，來自於他本人與他對這份工作的敬業道德。我知道自己是個大聯盟投手，但哈樂戴讓我更了解我的本分－身為一個大聯盟投手每天都應該要盡到的事。無論場上場下，哈勒戴就是那種會想向他看齊的人。」
從 2006－2008 年，這兩位投手有三個賽季的時間做隊友，直到柏奈特跳脫合約並與洋基簽下一份五年新約。假使不曾與哈勒戴同隊過，柏奈特不認為自己會有辦法應付身在紐約打球的嚴酷。之後他在2009年那跌宕起伏的賽季，幫助洋基奪下世界大賽冠軍。
「如果我不曾從哈勒戴身上學到東西，我可能沒辦法搞定（紐約）那一切。」柏奈特說道，在紐約待了三季之後，他又分別效力海盜三年與費城人一年。
「紐約的那些事，以及我如何帶著那些，前進人生的下一個章節。我真的覺得如果我不曾認識哈特勒，我絕對沒辦法處理好那些瑣事。（哈勒戴）教導我作為職業選手該是如何。」
星期二下午，柏奈特很震驚聽到哈勒戴的死訊，接著花了整個下午的時間傳簡訊與前隊友談及他們那剛過世的老友。
「我真的沒辦法…。就像看到費南德茲（Jose Fernandez）那樣的傢伙發生事情時，儘管我並沒有很認識他。但當事情發生在對你的一生有重大影響的人身上時，那種感覺太不真實了，就連跟他告別、跟他再次感謝的機會都沒有，一切就這樣結束。讓人難以置信。」
柏奈特曾經與多位明星選手共事過，像是貝基特（Josh Beckett）、派提特（Andy Pettitte）與沙巴西亞（CC Sabathia）等人，但他連想都沒想，直接認定了哈勒戴是他共事過最厲害的投手。
「完全沒有問題，他就是所有曾當過我隊友的人之中最棒的投手。」柏奈特說：「當他站在場上時，就像是大人對上小孩那樣。正是他工作的態度和扎實的準備造就這一切。他從未失手，也沒有放棄過任何一球。」
哈勒戴那不可思議的敬業精神，自從那致命的墜機發生以來，早已成為無數個論壇上共同發酵的話題。柏奈特向來總不吝嗇稱許自己對待工作的態度，但就連他也得承認在這個部分他還是不如哈勒戴。
「你知道他曾說過，只有一個人在場上幹掉他過。」柏奈特說道：「那人就是我。」
「我曾經試過一整個禮拜都用他的訓練菜單，但我做不到，而他卻是每天都這樣做。我在馬林魚時，從沒看過任何人用這樣的方式訓練。我已經很努力了，但他是最頂級的競爭者。我試過這種方式一整個禮拜，接著就沒辦法了，而他知道自己有能力達成最頂尖的，所以他得比其他人更加倍努力。」
哈勒戴在場上的貢獻讓他成為指標性的焦點，而柏奈特也談及他們倆在場下的關係，懷念著曾有這樣一個人，「以其他人不曾有過的方式，用笑容照亮了你的內心。」
「他很安靜，也是我在場上最親密的夥伴，我常跟他緊緊地勾肩搭背，試著讓他放鬆一點。」柏奈特憶道：「我剛來到多倫多時，我與我妻子造訪他家用晚餐。我總喜歡我的牛排煎成五分熟，但哈勒戴卻喜歡煮得像那隻牛還在對你眨眼睛似的。我向來沒辦法忍受生食，但那一次我嗑光了那有史以來吃過最生的牛排。我太太疑惑看著我，接著我對她說：『你也不吃嗎？』我沒打算接著說什麼，但那真是我吃過最棒的牛排。」
「很幸運能認識哈勒戴，跟他在一起，也從他身上學到許多。發生這種事情總讓人觸景傷情，而這也使人們得對生命中遇見的其他人常懷著感謝。」
以下為文章原文：
When A.J. Burnett signed with the Blue Jays in late 2005, he was already an accomplished Major League starter with more than 130 starts, 49 wins and a no-hitter under his belt.
But when the hard-throwing right-hander reported for his first Spring Training with Toronto, he quickly realized he had a long way to go if he wanted to be the pitcher he hoped to be.
All it took was one day with Roy Halladay.
"Doc had an impact on me as a man and as a pitcher," Burnett said. "I always had that animal instinct on the mound, but I never really knew what to do with it. When I got around Doc in Toronto, I saw a different kind of animal instinct on the mound I had never seen before. Being around him and his work ethic, I knew I was a Major League pitcher, but Roy made it so clear what my job was and what I had to do day in and day out as a Major League pitcher, as a father and as a friend. He was the guy you wanted to be like, both on and off the field."
The two pitchers spent three seasons together from 2006-08 before Burnett opted out of his contract, eventually signing a five-year deal with the Yankees. Without his time as Halladay's teammate, Burnett doesn't believe he would have been able to handle the rigors of playing in the Bronx, where he helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series during a season that included multiple peaks and valleys.
"If I don't learn what I learned from Roy Halladay, I may not have made it out of New York," said Burnett, who went on to pitch three seasons with the Pirates and one with the Phillies after his three-year stint with the Yanks. "What I learned there, how I took it to my next chapter, I don't think I could have handled all of that without my time with Roy. He taught me how to be a pro."
Burnett was stunned to learn of Halladay's death Tuesday afternoon, spending the following hours texting and speaking with former teammates about their late friend.
"I can't get over it," Burnett said. "You see it with guys like Jose [Fernandez], but I didn't know him very well. When it happens to someone that had an impact on your life, it doesn't seem real. You didn't have a chance to say goodbye, to say thank you again. It's just over. It's hard to process."
Burnett has pitched with multiple All-Stars, including Josh Beckett, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia, but he didn't think twice before calling Halladay the best pitcher with whom he ever shared a mound.
"Hands down, he was the best pitcher I ever played with," Burnett said. "It was man against boys when he was out there. His work ethic and preparation made him that way. He didn't miss a beat, never gave away a pitch."
Halladay's legendary work ethic has been a common theme in the myriad tributes that have poured out since the tragic plane crash that took his life. Burnett always prided himself on his own work habits, but even he admitted that he took a back seat to Halladay in that department.
"You know how he said only one guy beat him to the field ever? That was me," Burnett said.
"I tried to do it for a week and I couldn't do it. Doc went at it hard every day. I hadn't had anyone I could watch in Florida where you said, 'OK, that's how you do it.' I worked hard, but he was the ultimate competitor. I tried his workout for a week, but that was it. He knew that for him to be the best he could be, he had to work harder than everybody else."
While Halladay's contributions on the field made him the iconic figure he became, Burnett talked about his friend and their relationship away from the field, remembering a man who "had a smile that lit you up" in a way few people at the ballpark ever saw.
"He was a quiet, intimidating dude at the field, but I would elbow him in the ribs every chance I got, try to loosen him up," Burnett said. "When I first signed in Toronto, my wife and I went to his house for dinner. I like my steaks medium, but Doc liked to cook his where it's still blinking at you on the grill or mooing. I can't eat anything red, but I crushed the rarest steak ever. My wife looked at me and I said, 'Well wouldn't you eat it, too? I wasn't going to say anything; that was the best steak I've ever had in my life.'
"I was so lucky to have gotten to know him, be around him and learn from him. It's sad that it takes something like this to trigger your mind and make you appreciate the people you had in your life."
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